CRI Middleware always incorporates voice and video requests according to the changes of the times.

ゲーム開発ツール＆ミドルウェアの祭典「GTMF（Game Tools & Middleware Forum）2018」の展示者にお話を聞く本企画。第三弾は、CRI・ミドルウェア（シーアールアイ・ミドルウェア）研究開発本部　本部長の櫻井敦史氏。

CRI Middleware is a research and development and sales company of middleware that develops and provides the "CRIWARE" audio and video middleware products.Recently, it has been developed and released audio and video compression software for many years, including expanding the functions of the high -quality and high -performance movie middleware "CRI SOFDEC2" and announcing the installation of the video codec "VP9" with high data compression performance.We will talk about the work content and the functions of the product you are selling.

―― First of all, please introduce yourself.

Mr. Atsushi Sakurai (hereinafter referred to as Sakurai): I am Sakurai of CRI Middleware Co., Ltd.As a director of the R & D headquarters, I look at the middleware for games in general.We have been developing voice and video middleware since the Sega Saturn era.We have been in business for more than 20 years to enliven the game industry while following the trends in the world, the evolution of devices and games, the sound production you want to do and how to use videos.

――The white and blue logo of the company displayed when you launch the game is no longer familiar to gamers.

Sakurai: I think that the logo was unified in the middle of PlayStation 2 generations.It will be long.

――It was said to follow the trend of the industry, but is the corporate policy of matching the times?

Mr. Sakurai: As we provide voice and video technology for the game industry, the required tools have changed with the trend of time.For example, if it was the Sound Middleware CRI ADX, it was important to respond to the request to compress the audio small anyway when it was first made.

The request for compression in the case of the video remains the same, but the power of the CPU was lower than now, so how much load can be played without loading, BGM, voice, game from CD-ROM and DVD-ROM.It was required to read data at the same time.

Recently, environmental sounds, sound effects, and interactive music are increasing steadily according to the complexity of the game.In the past, it was a middleware that focused on music and voices, but in recent years it has been necessary to respond to the sound effects and the sound of the game in general.The tools and compositions are evolving accordingly.

A little while ago, for example, there is HCA-MX in the compressed codec that I have.HCA-MX was created as a function that assumed game development, with a low load when a lot of sound was heard.Compared to old games, the number of sounds has increased, so the need to reduce the load was created.In addition, the way of making the production has changed like an interactive sound.Not only compression but also how to make production and data management, it has evolved as a tool.

――Could you tell us your main products again?

Mr. Sakurai: Products for games are three stands related to audio, video, and files.The mainstay is the CRI ADX2 of the sound middleware.There is a video middleware CRI SOFDEC2, but not all games are used.There are not many games that do not use sounds, but there is a game that does not use videos.In that sense, the main product is sound middleware.However, the fact that videos can be used together continue to evolve in mind.

――That's why CRI ADX2 and CRI Softc2 can use both by purchasing one of them.

Sakurai: That's right, just a game console (laughs).If you use not only sound middleware but also video middleware, it is a positive and expensive fee system.When I launched a plan for smartphones, I wanted to use a video more casually in the background of the use of a fee structure that provides sound and video middleware collectively.Even if there were only 1-2 scenes in the game, I had a feeling that using CRI Softc2 would make it useful.

―― Regarding CRI Sofdec2, I think that there was an introduction of high -compression codec VP9 recently.Could you tell me the strengths of CRI Sofdec2 and VP9 again?

Mr. Sakurai: First of all, the characteristic of CRI SOFDEC2 itself is that it is made as a library on the premise of incorporating it into the game program.CRI Sofdec2 is not just a compression tool.There are many functions for games, such as being able to use a movie with transparency as a production, can be used to regenerate and manage multiple movies, and reproduce various variations by dividing the movie into parts.On top of that, data compression is the most common request from the smartphone area.

―― For smartphones, storage and traffic are a problem.

Sakurai: I think many people like games who are worried about the free space of smartphones.That's why I want to compress the data a little.However, on the other hand, some people want to use videos to make the production lively.For example, if it is a popular character in Japan, it is not always the correct answer to do it in real time when moving anime characters.Sometimes I want to use videos.But the capacity is compressed.I decided to introduce VP9 because I wanted to clear it.

――I want to take the industrial initiative regarding compression technology.

Mr. Sakurai: VP9 is open source, so it is published as a technology.However, even with the published technology, I think that there are definitely parts that are easier to use as a tool by setting the CRI Softc2 convenience.

――I see, you frequently incorporate the developer's feedback and improve it.

Sakurai: Yes.I have a lot of feedback.There are many things I want to do, such as developing new functions, but there are quite a few cases where I want to respond to this feedback as soon as possible.In the story of VP9, I had a lot of requests for "Can't we compress more?"As one of the improvement measures, I was able to take the time to enhance the performance after thinking about VP9.

――In the smartphone market, there is a high demand in compression.So what about the console market?Will the service content be different?

Mr. Sakurai: The aim is different depending on the platform.The performance is stable with a console machine, and there are many 3D games.In order to match the 3D space, I think that there is a strong tendency to draw in real time instead of a single picture by video production.

In the past, the changing generation of the platform came to the flow of "Let's make everything in real time".However, if you make further production from there, it will be severe due to data loading, such as loading data in real time.So what to do is start to incorporate a technique for making and capturing a picture with a real machine engine.Then you can leave the atmosphere of the picture as the actual machine.No matter how intense the scene, the processing is just playing a video.However, as the technology progresses further, the flow of "Let's make everything in real time" again.I wonder if there is such a wave.

――It says your middleware is active in the field of “real -time -style pretendering”.

Sakurai: Yes, the flow has been going on for a long time.The point is the image quality.Even if you make a picture using an engine engine, if it deteriorates due to compression, it will be found when you switch to a video in the game.So that's the part I want to stick.

――In the story of CRI Softc2, is it an image that the overall cover and console aircraft are partially covered for smartphones?

Mr. Sakurai: I think that it may be used for production on the console, but I have the impression that many developers are using real -time productions.Smartphones have a wide range of performance depending on their terminals, so even if they move on a high -end device, they may be severe if they are slightly older terminals.If so, I guess there is a idea of stabilizing with a video.

―― On the other hand, CRI ADX2 is the impression that it is also used in the console.

Mr. Sakurai: The sound middleware is generally used for both smartphones and consoles.

――What are the benefits of using CRI ADX2 in games for console that don't require much data compression?

Mr. Sakurai: When it comes to console games and elaborate games for smartphones, how to manage the number of sounds that can increase and how to manage the number of sounds that are increasing rather than compression.It will be a point.In addition, the sound director and sound designer who are the creator of the sound will be inefficient in the process of asking a programmer to incorporate the material and then check the finish.The advantage of using the sound middleware is that the creator can be put into the game after completing the direction of the creator at his own hand.

――Is it is an image of software for engineers rather than compression software?

Mr. Sakurai: Regarding the sound of the game, high compression, high sound quality, and low load are premised functions.In addition to that, it is important to add the effect of the sound.The sound of the game is worrisome when the sound is strange or the noise is included, but if you carefully make the sound, you will not be able to notice it.It is important to be able to play the game comfortably, and it is important to have a sound designer directly editing in creating such a natural and good sound.

――You are supporting sound creation from various perspectives.In May this year, web technology Co., Ltd. was announced as a wholly owned subsidiary.Based on that, could you tell us the future prospects of CRI and middleware?

Mr. Sakurai: In the sense of providing technology for games, I want to broadly support what the creator of the game is aiming for.For example, the recently announced CRI ADX2 for browser games has been decided to provide more and more creators who want to make games with a browser.The provision of middleware for smartphones was also started because the developers were interested in games for smartphones.In order to follow the game company firmly, and even if you move to other platforms and development environments, we are doing a wide range of security.

Web Technology is a company in the same game industry, but has a technology that does not overlap with the CRI.CRI is a video, and web technology is a still image.I wonder if we can cooperate with each other and combine technology to make it more efficient and interesting.The aim is to have a good synergistic effect with each other's technology, rather than the purpose of doing something together.

--thank you very much.

[Listman/Photo: Minoru Umise] [Edit: Ryuki ISHII]